Defining the Battle

Let’s define battle

            To battle is “to contend with full strength, vigor, skill, or resources: struggle”

Living the Christian life isn’t easy, but living a life without Christ isn’t easy either. Either way you are in the battle. On God’s side as a soldier of the King of Kings, or a drafted soldier of sin and your general is Satan. By our definition, you will be contending with your strength, your vigor, your skill and your resources either for God or Satan. Now you know what the battle is that we will be discussing. (1 Peter 2:9-11)

1. Israel had to fight because of it’s placement in the heart (center) of the world, we are in the center of the world, but we are a holy nation, a set apart people.

            We will fight on one side or the other

            Conversion places you on God’s side

            You can’t lose but you can be wounded and you can leave others vulnerable

            OT pictures of Battle

                        1 Samuel 7:8-10

                                    Priest offered sacrifice to solicit victory

                        Judges 20:18 and 1 Samuel 14:37

                                    Sought a Word from God and prayed

                        Ex 13:20-22, Joshua 3:3

                                    Presence of God goes ahead

2. War is a universal principle, beginning Gen 4:23-24 to end Rev 19:11.

            The battle is raging, you can’t avoid it

            The cause requires a commitment

Ours is a proper battle

Need to know the issues and goals we battle for

The battle is one of ideology but it must play out in our flesh.

Read the Psalms, Jesus died in the Flesh, Paul was physically beaten, John Bunyan was in prison for 12 years, missionaries are murdered, etc.

Rom 7:23, Rom 12:12

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Slavery                                    Freedom

Succession                               Unity

Devaluation of Man                Created in God’s image

Old life                                    New life (progress, cooperation, opportunity)

Destruction                             Prosperity

Intellectual Oppression           Intellectual Liberty

Another reason it is so hard is because it is a civil war.

            Matt 10:34-39

            The enemy looks like us

            We used to belong to their kingdom

            It is hard to fight when you empathize with the enemy

            we need a new mind set

            In future weeks we will be learning how to change our mind